They Died With Their Boots On

Loved Errol Flynn even though he died to early! This is very close to the story of George Armstrong Custer! Great action! Plan on collecting more Errol Flynn movies when they are available! Great, Great movie!

If you’re looking for a documentary on General Custer, or for that matter the historical incidents that are mentioned in the movie, this isnt it.

I love our country and the excellent military establishments that has come along way to being more disciplined than back in Custers days of skull-dabbery and malicious exploits!

Old black and white classic, Hollywood embellishment and creative license. I liked looking for Howard Hill shooting the bow in some of the scenes.

I havent seen this movie in years and I really enjoyed it. I purchased it used and it played like new.

I found this movie to be one of the great.s that Errol FLYNN made.Howerevery I did find the film to be oneside,and dident tell the hole story about the indian.

A favorite movie from my youth

When filmmakers decide to take actual events to place them on the screen, they face the difficult decision of to what extant they will tinker with the truth to score some dramatic points. In the case of THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON, the producers totally abandoned any semblance of truth to present a vision of the life and death of General George Armstrong Custer that was then fully resonant with the burgeoning militarism of 1941 Hollywood. I know that it is difficult for current moviegoers to possibly envision an artistic elite that supports and glorifies traditional American values, but back in pre-Pearl Harbor days, political correctness meant flag waving, not flag burning. What Hollywood wanted was a flashy dashing hero who could be both charming and heroic at the same time. In Errol Flynn, America could see a distorted version of the egotistical and megalomaniacal glory hunter that Custer truly was, but Flynns interpretation played down that part of him and emphasized an altruistic side that is so breathtaking in its centrality to Custers film persona, that movie audiences could see in Flynn-Custer a hearkening back to the frontier hero that America was to need to buttress itself for the looming war. Director Raoul Walsh essentially films a vastly entertaining war cartoon that allows Flynn to pair with Olivia DeHavilland to maintain a love interest that forms the background for the many action scenes. And what action scenes there are. Flynn is seen attacking Confederate positions in cavalry charges with more than a little tongue in cheek. But in the second half, the mood and tempo change when Flynn takes his militancy out west to fight Indians. The smiling Flynn of the Civil War becomes the serious Flynn of the Far West. As Custer, Flynn is prepared to sacrifice his entire 7th Cavalry to save the greater body of troops of his commander, General Terry. The climactic massacre at the Battle of the Little Big Horn shows a more megalomaniacal side to Custer than what Director Walsh probably intended. In the hours preceeding the battle, Flynns facial expression and voice well indicate a man who is stoically resigned to die merely for a higher cause. When the films villain, played by Arthur Kennedy, asks him why he is doing this, Custer replies: For glory or to hell. It depends on your perspective. My perspective was that Custer chose both at the same time. It is this odd pairing of wildly divergent viewpoints that make this gross distortion of history an entertaining film--even if I had to wonder whether Custer cared a hoot about the 198 troopers under his command.

Just two words or just two names sum up this movie - Flynn and de Havilland. What more need be said sayeth the Bard...

A lovely myth....